Contact Me
Email: bawriting@earthlink.netPhone: 562 628-9688
Get My RSS FeedHere’s what some of the 250+ authors I’ve worked with have to say about my work.
American Holistic Health Association, Suzan Walter, M.B.A., president,
founder
Whenever a consulting client or an AHHA
member practitioner authors new material for our website, I recommend Barbara.
She has the unique perspective of being both a published author and a professional
editor. In addition to her superb skills, I particularly appreciate that
she never imposes any of her “stuff” into the author’s creation. I am proud
that [from 2003 to the present] Barbara has also edited the AHHA Monthly
Updates and my President’s Letters.
Pedernales Publishing, LLC, Barbara Rainess and Jose Ramirez, partners
We have been referring authors who submit
their manuscripts to us to Barbara for the past year [2012]. To date, this
has been about twenty authors, and we have never had a client come back
to us dissatisfied with Barbara’s editing or their experience. In fact,
most of our clients include her in their acknowledgments as being indispensable.
Because she has a Ph.D. in English, and is also a published author, Barbara
understands the process and the writer’s commitment and emotional involvement.
She knows the writer has already been hard at work on his or her book.
Her literary knowledge and years of industry experience thus make her first
rate. This is because Barbara teaches as she edits. Her method is interactive,
so you understand why you are making changes. Emerging and veteran authors
alike appreciate the professionalism and polish their books acquire after
her thorough editing. Barbara edits without changing the author’s voice.
Manuscripts are improved by better word choice and order, organization,
chronology, and the elimination of habitual errors and/or amateur errors,
and her editing includes reasonable fact checking as a matter of course.
Although she is faster than many editors, Barbara is also more thorough
than most; her page-per-hour rate is impressive. The right editor with
the right credential and experience is essential to the success of a market-viable
book. We have seen Barbara take
ehhh writing to GOLDEN, and some of Barbara’s edits have made us
“jumping up and down happy.”
Adams Media, Brett Palana-Shanahan, associate copy chief
Barbara has copyedited several titles for
me and I always find her work professional and well researched. Her knowledge
of Wiccan subject matter has been invaluable to the progress of our New
Age titles. She often brings new insight into the project and helps the
authors structure their thoughts in a more concrete manner. I always feel
that Barbara is personally invested in any project I give her and that
she gives her all to each project to make sure she delivers it back to
me in a superior form. She is dedicated, hardworking, and intelligent.
Working with Barbara has been wonderful. [Written in 2004–05.]
Llumina Press, Deborah Greenspan, publisher
[From 2003 to 2005], Barbara Ardinger [was]
one of Llumina Press’s top editors. Whether editing or writing a critique
of a manuscript, she unfailingly provided our authors with the full benefit
of her skills, as well as a respectful attitude for their sensibilities.
We [were] able to assign her manuscripts from all genres. Business, New
Age, memoirs, science fiction—you name it, she has the background to handle
it. Barbara provides service that is on time (and often early). And her
willingness to work within our editing structure/protocol [was] a valuable
attribute. I value her contributions to Llumina Press and wholeheartedly
recommend her for her editing skills.
Physical Optics Corporation
For our company in 2003–04, Dr. Ardinger
edited scientific and technical research and development proposals for
Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grants and contracts for all
branches of the Department of Defense (DoD) and for the Department of Energy
(DoE). She edited abstracts and introductory material to present complex
concepts in non-technical language and helped to ensure compliance with
prescribed format and content requirements as detailed in applicable solicitations.
The greatest challenge in this work is overcoming language barriers. The
scientists are immigrants from Russia, China, Korea, and other non-English-speaking
countries. As a result, English is not the primary language of any of the
scientists, and many have had little experience writing in English. Some
of them actually write their material in their native language and then
apply a software translation program, which often alters their intended
meaning. The problem is compounded by the subject matter, which focuses
on complex theoretical concepts and state-of-the-art scientific and technological
developments.
Nathan Gottlieb, author of
The Hurting Game (Endless String, 2012)
Before I gave my book to Barbara, I thought
I was a terrific editor and doubted I needed someone to work on the book.
Boy, was I wrong! Barbara did a tremendous job in not only editing my book,
but enhancing it. By closely studying her edits, I realized I needed to
more clearly identify who was speaking in scenes and that I was deficient
in “stage directions.” She also taught me about the importance of keeping
track of props in a scene. I also saw that my book lacked details that
would bring scenes more to life. Based on all that I had learned, I went
back and re-edited books 2 and 3 in my series and greatly improved them.
Perhaps above all, Barbara was wonderful to work with. We really had a
lot of fun together. She loves to interact with writers she is editing
and always respects the writer’s style, never imposes her own. I would
recommend Barbara to anyone who cares about making their books the best
they can be.
Ray M. Vento, author of
Nonno’s Pocket Watch (Vengiugno Press, 2012)
Not long ago, I completed writing my first
children’s book. I was counseled that my story needed someone to help polish
my text. I was referred to Barbara Ardinger, who had broad editing experience
working with new and established authors. After Barbara’s first read of
my book, she sent back all of her suggested changes. Upon reading her edited
comments, it was if she lifted a veil from my text revealing a story with
much more punch and clarity. As a new author, I found it easy to discuss
and negotiate with Barbara all of her suggestions. By the end of the process,
I had a better story largely attributed to Barbara’s professionalism and
easy manner. What a relief to find Barbara who helped this writer along
the road to publishing his first children’s book.
[Note: I have edited a dozen or more children’s
books, including two rhymed ones in which I corrected the rhyming words
and the scansion of the verse.]
Larry Burk, MD, CEHP, author of
Let Magic Happen: Adventures in Healing with a Holistic Radiologist
(Healing Imager Press, 2012)
Barbara, thanks so much for being my editor
for
Let Magic Happen. I knew you were a perfect fit for my book when
I found out that not only were you an English Ph.D. who had edited over
250 books, but that you had written eight of your own in the pagan/Goddess
genre, as well as edited the AHHA monthly newsletter. I was unexpectedly
surprised at how much fun the hard work of editing was as we went through
the chapters one by one. I especially appreciated the way you rearranged
my sentences without losing the meaning or intent of the stories. I tell
my friends it sounds just like me, only better!
Martha Bourke, author of Jaguar Sun (2012) and
Jaguar Moon (2012)
When I had my first phone conversation
with Barbara, I knew that we would get along well. The editing process
can be stressful in general, and this was
Jaguar Sun, my first Young Adult book to be published. But Barbara
was very easygoing on the phone, and that helped to make me feel comfortable
and relax. With Barbara, I get the best of both worlds. She has an incredible
amount of editing experience, but our work is always peppered with lots
of fun conversations, often about the crazy words (like “shiznit”) that
young people use today. So when it came time to edit the second book in
the series, there was no question in my mind that I wanted to work with
her again. The flow of my books is always so polished when we finish. It’s
a truly rewarding experience. [And there more to come!]
Patrick Knight, author of
Blessed to Survive: The Thanksgiving Day Massacre (Campbell Well
Press, 2012).
I used Barbara at the recommendation of
Pedernales Publishing and I am so glad that I did. Barbara made sure that
my voice remained in the writing while she greatly improved the flow and
consistency. Although Barbara is a pagan and my book is a Christian faith-based
book of survival and inspiration, she had the ultimate respect for my message
and helped improve upon my message despite her own beliefs. She is a respectful
editor that makes the process fun (even though her humor runs the spectrum
of charming, witty and off-the-wall). I highly recommend her to any aspiring
writers.
Peter Chapel, author of
Having the Time of My Life (2011)
In 2010, at a meeting at the Greater Los
Angeles Writers Society (GLAWS), I listened to a panel of book editors
and decided to speak to one of them, Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D., who is highly
qualified, has many years of editing experience, and is a published author.
She seemed to have the maturity I felt was necessary to understand where
I was coming from. We had a very good relationship working together for
over a year on my project. I had originally published my memoir with Xlibris,
but that was my very first attempt at writing a prose book; what I submitted
to Xlibris was my first draft, and I had not read a book in 55 years prior
to that. There were errors on every page. I hired Barbara to edit the revised
version. Mine is a documentary memoir. I didn’t want any changes in the
facts or my philosophic leaning, but I realized that much could be done
to make the narrative move more smoothly—not to be burdened by pages of
repetitions due to encroaching short-term memory loss as I entered my ninth
decade. Much of the printed documentation became more effective paraphrased.
Barbara, being steeped in the classics and up to date with modern successful
works of creative writing—touching on form—brought to my attention the
need to start out with a dedication followed by an itemized list of contents
and a “Prologue to a Long Life” before opening up with Chapter 1. Occasionally
we disagreed on some matter, such as inclusion of some pictures where there
was the possibility of infringement of copyrights and cost of litigation,
but I did not fear that. I used material essential in detective story fashion
to identify a person and unravel a mystery. I was grateful to Barbara when
it came to finalizing a title to each of the 32 chapters of my 680-page
book. Where I was uncertain what would be appropriate, she remembered what
had transpired therein and contained the essence. When I thought I had
come to the end of this memoir, Barbara surprised me. "You must finish
it with an afterword," she said. She gave me suggestions and I became surprised
at what an important part of my memoir I would have passed by. Kudos to
Barbara Ardinger.
Bodie Parkhurst, author of
Redeeming Stanley and
Good on Paper (Magic Dog Press, 2009)
The day we handed in our first papers for
grading, my Honors Comp professor started his lecture by saying, “Having
your paper edited is a bit like paying someone to cut off your baby’s legs
so it’ll fit into the cradle.” I’ve often had cause to think of that terrible
image in the years since, as I’ve written articles for magazines and newspapers,
and then my own books. I've thought of it each time I handed my tender,
perfect, literary “baby” over to an axe man—or woman. Each time I have
faced that moment, I have said that I “expect to be edited.” What I really
meant was that I expected the editor to read every gleaming word, throw
up his or her hands in amazement and exclaim, “But this is perfect! Absolutely
perfect!” And then refer me to their very special friend at Doubleday,
who would take the book for immediate publication. This has never happened.
I have found that the editing process in most cases does indeed feel like
paying someone to cut off my child’s legs to fit it into the cradle. But
with Barbara, it doesn’t feel like that. It feels more like putting on
orthopedic shoes, maybe a brace, possibly a cast. Her editing is less a
matter of cutting away at my “baby” than it is strengthening, directing
growth, reinforcing weak spots. And in the end, my wordy child is better
and stronger, able to stand on its own two feet. I’m still waiting for
that dream book that I present to the world whole and perfect in every
way, direct from my hand. Until then, I have Barbara. And that's a very
good thing to have.
Marcus F. Griffin, author of
Slaughter, a novel (Alexandrian Archives, Inc., 2009), and (as Lord
Foxglove)
Advancing the Witches’ Craft (New Page Books, 2005)
Barbara proved to be invaluable in helping
me discover my true author’s voice and in bringing my writing skills to
a previously unrealized level. For me, the most bothersome and time-consuming
parts of writing were (and still are) proper grammar and avoiding the pitfalls
common to most new writers. Working with Barbara allowed me to get on with
the creative process without having to sweat the little things. With each
of my books so far, she helped turn what could have been a real nightmare
of a project into an enjoyable and spiritual experience. Barbara is an
honest, hardworking, and intelligent, a highly experienced expert in her
field. She is a rare find and a bargain at twice the price. I plan to work
with Barbara on all of my future projects.
Elizabeth Hazel, author of
Tarot Decoded (Weiser, 2004) and
The Whispering Tarot: Softly Spoken Secrets (Kosmic Kitchen Press,
2008)
Some of my literary projects are right
there on the edge of the esoteric goomsplat (that’s “event horizon” for
you Muggles). This never seems to shock or worry Barbara, although it probably
should. She rolls up her sleeves and digs in, uprooting those pesky punctuation
problems and carving through my excessive prolixity with her editorial
machete. My diamonds in the rough come back with a polished princess-cushion
cut. Doctor ba improves my writing and makes me better writer at the same
time. She has the guts, I get the glory. If she wasn’t sitting behind her
computer, she’d blind us all with her dazzling excellence. And I swear
on the Flying Spaghetti Monster that’s not hyperbole. [Hey, Liz—when are
we gonna finish that cool novel I hope you’re still writing?]
Ricki Lewis, Ph.D., author of
Stem Cell Symphony (Trafford Publishing, 2007)
I came to Barbara after having published four college-level life-science
textbooks, a collection of essays, and thousands of articles ranging from
a cover story in
Discover to soft porn in
Playgirl. But I'd never written fiction (not even the
Playgirl article). Barbara showed me how. She turned my feeble attempts,
but good ideas, into flowing conversations among real-sounding people.
She vastly improved my first novel.
Andre Aki, author of
Letters from One Christian to Another (Trafford, 2007) and
A Quest for Truth (privately printed).
An editor is not like a translator or an
interpreter who gives the reader a good translation. An editor may be a
skillful writer, but she is more than that, for she must be able to convey
the essential characterization and true meaning of the original author
[in this case, Andre’s mentor, a Calvinist theologian named H.Th. Lilipali].
This kind of “translation” was executed by Barbara in both my books, which
were originally was written in the Dutch and German languages. Those who
speak foreign languages know that if the “interpretation” is used in a
bad sense, it could make our works become only a tedious manipulation of
words. I must say that Barbara is an honest and first-class scholar and
that she has a sensibility particularly in interpreting meaning along with
a flawless understanding of style, correct word choice, and consideration
of the reader.
Arthur Cridland (Prague, Czech Republic), author of
College Days: Tales from the Life of a Professor-errant (Trafford,
2006)
Barbara turns a shotgun blast of mispunctuation,
grammatical and typographical errors, and obscure expressions into a smoothly
flowing document that is a pleasure to read. She squashes misused participles
like the cockroaches soiling the text that they are, and renders long,
tortuous sentences into readable prose. She has a marvelous knack of suggesting
just the right succinct expression for awkwardly expressed thoughts. She
is a fount of provocative questions and requests for clarifications that
lead an author to self-improvement. She works quickly and accurately, does
a tremendous job of keeping in touch, responds to e-mails promptly, and
provides a running log of activities and expenses so authors know exactly
where they stand at each time of contact. It’s a pleasure to work with
her.
Mashallah Ali-Ahyaie (Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran), author
of
Seven Articles on the Qiblah: The Case of the Taj Mahal (Trafford
Publishing, 2006) and
New Insight into the Qiblah, Through the Application of Sciences
(Trafford)
I had always wished publishing a part of
my works in English, to be able to convey my ideas to others, since I thought
the opportunity for translating my works from Persian to other languages
was rather low. Dr. Barbara Ardinger not only edited my two manuscripts,
but her comments as a reader made the books more understandable. She followed
my wishes to keep the style intact as much as possible. Dr. Ardinger is
very precise, straightforward, and honest. I do not hesitate to recommend
her for editing projects to authors around the world.
Ronald Howard, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Prairie View A&M
University (Prairie View, TX), author of
An Affective Approach to Therapy: Treating Invisible and Inaudible Clients
(Sandpebble Publishers, 2006)
I am thrilled to write about my experience
in having Barbara Ardinger edit my university textbook. Barb was very realistic
as she presented numerous issues that I would encounter in getting my book
to print. Throughout the editing process, her openness and commitment went
well beyond my expectations. She persistently pushed me in a bold fashion
as she challenged me to produce a clear and concise document that was practical,
readable, meaningful, and competitive. Among other things, she formatted
the case studies to remove the impersonal APA style and make the clients
talk like real people. After the book was published, Barb has edited my
website text, marketing letters, and related introductions of my book.
Our collaborative relationship continues to this date. Being a first-time
author without any awareness of the editing process, I doubt that I would
have engaged the process with such intensity and without Barb’s support
and friendship.
Bobby “Boris” Pickett, author of
Monster Mash: Half Dead in Hollywood, a Memoir (Trafford, 2005)
The monumental task of editing a book is
not to be taken lightly. Barbara is a master at this process. My personal
experience while working with her on my autobiography was both enjoyable
and educational as I learned many things along the way. My admiration for
her extreme talent at rearranging paragraphs, correcting, spotting glitches,
etc., is boundless. She took a mish-mash of bad syntax, misspellings, poor
grammar, rotten punctuation, and on and on, and made the final product
something readable and hopefully enjoyable. If she’d let me, I’d start
a writers’ fan club for her. She’s the best!
Terence Lee, L.L.M. (Sydney, Australia), author of
Time Camera (Trafford, 2005)
Barbara has been of the greatest assistance
to me in the preparation of my novel. Among many other things, she has
assisted in breaking sentences that were too long by half into shorter
ones, by rearranging the order of words in order to assist the flow, and
in checking to ensure that my Australian/British English would be understandable
to the American public for whom the book has been principally written.
Barbara introduced me to the
Chicago Manual of Style, which I now keep on my bed-side table. Her
editing is remarkably in accordance with the
Manual. My book is fiction but based heavily upon historical fact.
It was Barbara who suggested that I include a bibliography and who made
many invaluable suggestions as the writing progressed. By way of appreciation,
I included her in the book in a cameo role. That is my way of saying thanks
for her assistance, unfailing good humor, and innovative ideas.
Rick Tobin, author of
Feeding the Monster: The True Threat to American Education (Trafford,
2005)
Barbara was committed to my manuscript
from beginning to end despite the challenge and, I’m sure, frustration
of trying to make sense out of my philosophical ramblings on a very complex
subject. We went through the entire manuscript twice. The first time Barbara
asked important questions and made suggestions to help me focus my thinking
and streamline my writing. The second time through, she painstakingly went
through line by line, word by word, working for clarity and eliminating
redundancy. We corresponded two to three times weekly for many months,
and with her guidance I was able to go from a flabby, overweight first
draft to a better-bodied final draft. Barbara has helped me become a better
writer. And for that, I cannot thank her enough.
Andrea C. Hurley, author of
What a Life: The Incredible Story of Josephine “Dadie” Jordan, a Memoir
(Trafford, 2004)
Hiring Barbara was one of the best decisions
that I’ve ever made. She is not for the faint-hearted, as she is blunt
and all business, but smart authors would be wise to seek this type of
editor because she cares more about making you look good than offending
your sensibilities. Barbara is a perfectionist and made good use of her
time and my money. She understands the need to let the author’s style,
not the editor’s preference, come through and will never attempt to impose
her style on you. If you want your piece of work to be the best it possibly
can be, your fee to Barbara is money well spent.
Grey Cat, co-author of
American Indian Ceremonies: The Good Red Road(Three Moons Publishing,
2003)
Barbara edited
American Indian Ceremonies when Dr. Medicine Hawk and I got the chance
to reissue it after it went out of print. Working with her on this project
was remarkably painless and quick. While she’s an absolute bear for perfect
grammar, she understands that some books should be a little less formal
and that it’s important to retain the author’s “voice.” I can remember
only one occasion when I felt that her corrections changed the intent of
the sentence, and we quickly arrived at a compromise acceptable to us both.
At one point when I felt her sieve had gotten a bit too fine, I asked her
to “lighten up,” and she understood what I meant and complied with my request.
Best of all, we completed the job in record time.
Shannon Dorey (Ontario, Canada), author of
The Master of Speech (2002, rev. ed., 2010) and
The Nummo (Trafford Publishing, 2004)
I was very pleased with the help Barbara
has given me in the editing of my two books about the Dogon religion. The
subject matter in both books is very complex and a considerable amount
of research was involved. Barbara is a wonderful resource and provided
me with the names of numerous books that were relevant to the subjects
I was researching. She also helped me with correct English usage and taught
me to be more precise with etymologies and cognates. She also helped me
to rework some of my ideas, making them more palatable for my reader. Overall,
I am very appreciative of her help.
Waheed Cisse (Lagos, Nigeria), author of
The Soul of an African Man
Barbara Ardinger’s brilliant editing will
vehemently fascinate your craft to publishers easily, effortlessly and
omniprofitably. I've learned new things in each sentence of her work. I
will summarily say Barbara Ardinger is an expert on book editing quality
by letting your alphabets dance in front of your publishers. I wrote to
publishers years ago, but kept getting rejects letters. Barbara edited
my first book and now more than two publishers are now looking ahead for
the whole manuscript after reading the first three chapters. What a great
job by Barbara. I've also learnt a lot from her work and I’m putting her
editing techniques into practice right away in my next books that are soon
to follow. She will continue being my editor!
Lise Patt, Ph.D.
Barbara edited my 2003 dissertation,
That Which Stimulates and Numbs Us: The Museum in the Age of Trauma.
The study, written through the City University of New York, Graduate Center,
to complete my Ph.D. degree in Art History, is 218 pages long and includes
476 footnotes.
That Which Stimulates and Numbs Us is a theoretical study that straddles
the fields of psychoanalysis, visual studies, museum studies, and post-Foucauldian
French philosophy. Barbara was responsible for line editing and editorial
suggestions that created a more fluid and understandable text. Her attention
to detail and very knowledgeable questioning of key passages produced a
final product that was acceptable to four diverse dissertation committee
members with very few changes. I am indebted to her for creating a clear,
concise text out of a jumble of sentences that through five years of work
had often become more jumbled. Her editing advice, always given in a timely
manner, helped me work through the last stage of my dissertation with confidence
and grace. I was very pleased with her work and give her my highest recommendation.
[Note: since editing Lisa’s dissertation,
I have edited numerous master’s theses and doctoral dissertations in several
disciplines, including a Doctor of Ministry project for a Unitarian-Universalist
minister and five Ph.D. theses (so far) for candidates at Lancaster University
in northern England.]
I just remembered--there's also a nice collection of endorsements for
my work on
LinkedIn. Take a look. (Scroll down when you get there.)